Companies changing products needlessly

When something is good, why do they change it?

One night at a recent camp, Josh Helling, a climbing partner and mountaineering guide in Yosemite, suggested that in a mission to create new looks, companies often discontinue products that made them successful in the first place.

“If you find something that is perfect for you, then buy two or three of them, because I guarantee they will stop making them,” Helling said.

One of the best examples is hiking boots. Years ago, I found a pair that felt perfect from the first moment. I added a foot pad (never use gelstyle for hiking) and SmartWool socks.

In two years, I hiked the John Muir Trail, a significant portion of the Pacific Crest Trail, and climbed Whitney, Shasta, Lassen and several lesser peaks, plus 40 parks in the Bay Area, distances that spanned roughly 2,000 miles before I wore those boots into tatters. Yet, not one blister.

I then went to buy the same boots and found that the company had discontinued them. It took me seven boot purchases at more than $1,000 and some wicked blisters to find something that worked as well.

“You can find the perfect boot, wear it out, then go to buy exactly the same thing and find out they don’t make them anymore,” Helling said. “They do this all the time.”

I’ve had the same thing happen with all kinds of gear: An older yet perfect backpack with 10,000 miles on it (that the company asked me to provide for study and then lost it; the replacements were inferior), my favorite fishing rod, my old canoe (and not being able to retrofit the cracked seats because of a change in sizing), even two of my favorite fishing lures, boot laces, and a shifter design for my mountain bike.

My truck has 362,000 miles on it and works great, with 500,000 miles in my sights. Yet over the years, they discontinued that engine to models that won’t make high miles.

When something is good, why does it get replaced?

Many look at everything as disposable, to be replaced by something new. As that attitude pervades the culture, what you’ll find is the same approach will be applied to people.